Endothelial cell regulation by phospholipid oxidation products.

Oxidized phospholipids accumulate in atherosclerotic lesions, on lipoproteins, in other states of chronic inflammation, on apoptotic cells, necrotic cells and cells exposed to oxidative stress. These lipids regulate the transcription of over 1000 gene, regulating many endothelial functions, by activating several different cell surface receptors and multiple signaling pathways. These lipids also have important effects not involving transcription that regulate cell junctions and leukocyte binding. Thus these lipids are potent regulators of endothelial cell function with broad effects comparable in extent but differing from those of cytokines.